In the construction of various types of buildings, factories, and other commercial structures, extensive networks of cables and conduits are needed for a variety of purposes. Such purposes may include the provision of electrical power, the transmission of communication and data signals, and the transportation of fluids such as gases or liquids. Such transmission is achieved via the use of electrical cables and other conduits, which are routed throughout the structure. It can be appreciated that due to the size, number and complexity of cables and conduits that are used in many modern commercial structures, the efficient routing of such cables and conduit may be rendered difficult.
Cable tray systems have been used to effectively manage the routing of such cables and conduits. As defined by the National Electrical Code, a cable tray system is an assembly of units or sections and associated fittings forming a rigid structural system used to support cables.
Cable tray systems may take a variety of shapes and forms but common to all such systems are a pair of spaced apart elongate sidewalls or rails between which the cables or conduits are supported. The cables or conduits may be secured to solid bottom trays (troughs) or spaced apart rungs that span the side rails and provide a surface on which the cables or conduits may be mounted. The cable tray may be supported at various levels above ground by use of overhead supports, floor-mounted supports or by extending the tray along the wall of a structure. The cable trays are permitted to extend transversely through partitions in walls to permit routing of cables and conduits to various locations within the structure.